It was said to be mastitis, but it turned out to be stage 4 breast cancer

E.Ş., a 49-year-old mother of a child who has been under medical supervision due to numerous lumps in her breast, was told at the hospital she visited that she had an infection in her breast. E.Ş. mentioned that the antibiotics helped her, but she later felt pain in her armpit and went back to the doctor. After learning that she had stage 4 breast cancer and that the tumor had also metastasized to her bones, E.Ş. said, “My son has been my greatest source of motivation throughout my treatment process; he even cut his hair to support me. According to this disease diagnosis, I should have died. However, living is beautiful. I think there is no feeling of giving up within us. Even if we were to fall off a cliff, we would cling to a branch to survive for just ten more seconds. I believe this attachment to life is unique to humanity.”

 E.Ş., who explained that she was a monitored patient due to lumps in her breast and a mother of one, said, “I had painful, hard, rock-like formations that I felt when I touched them, and there was redness, especially in my left breast. I was initially told that they were cysts and that I had a breast infection. Antibiotic treatment was applied, and it worked well. I thought I was fine when the infection went away. I called my doctor friends because my pain had started to spread to my armpit. When I went to the doctor, I had a biopsy that same day, underwent a mammogram and ultrasound, and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The next day, I went to Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Şeref Kömürcü. Şeref looked at my results and recommended a PET scan. Unfortunately, after the PET scan, I learned that the tumor had metastasized to my bones. There were dozens of lumps in my breasts, including lymph nodes. They had also metastasized to the bone. All of this happened in January 2016.”

"I lost my father 6 months ago."

E.Ş. said she lost her father six months before starting cancer treatment, stating, “My father was very precious to me; it felt like losing a friend, a companion. Therefore, as soon as I heard about this disease, I even thought, ‘Thank goodness my father died; he didn’t hear about my illness.’ My child has been a tremendous source of motivation for me. I only thought about getting better for my son; I never thought of giving up. I probably always had this message in my mind. I never stopped living; I put on makeup, and I had new hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes put in place of the ones that fell out. The moment I felt better, I threw myself outside. I have never held a grudge against life.”

"There were times when I felt short of breath."

E.Ş., who retired after working in sales at large companies, said, “There were times when I fell into depression and felt short of breath, but I overcame those times. Living is beautiful. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer; I should have died with this diagnosis. However, I think there is no feeling of giving up within us. Even if we were to fall off a cliff, we would cling to a branch to survive for just ten more seconds. I believe this attachment to life is unique to humanity.”

"I changed cities due to the illness."

Initially not telling her son about her illness, she mentioned that she told him she had a condition related to her immune system, saying, “Since this illness would cause my hair to fall out, I told him I would cut my hair. My son reacted very strongly. He was already very sad because he couldn't see his father, who lived abroad, he lost his grandfather, and he had to leave his school because we moved. I hid my illness for about two months. However, as the side effects of the disease increased, my son understood. He started using the word cancer a lot at school, which caught my attention. Then we went to a psychologist, and I told my son. He cut his hair to support me.”

"There are more than 20 lumps; my breasts will be removed as part of preventive treatment."

E.Ş., who underwent ten rounds of chemotherapy (six large and four small) and then three more rounds, stated, “The ultrasound results were initially very good. The lumps shrank by up to 40%. I have a very high number of tumors. I believe the number of lumps is over 20. After my last chemotherapy, I had a PET scan. I was out at a restaurant with my friends. We were eagerly awaiting the results. I received a call from Prof. Şeref, saying, ‘You created a miracle. The results are very good. There will be no need for radiotherapy.’ The lumps had shrunk. Then hormone therapy began. After that, Prof. Şeref wanted me to be seen by Prof. Dr. Metin Çakmakçı, a General Surgery Specialist at Anadolu Health Center. Prof. Metin recommended emptying my breasts surgically and placing silicone as part of preventive treatment. I thought about it and decided to go through with it. I will have surgery in the coming days.”

"Patients should stay away from the internet."

E.Ş. stated that her awareness increased significantly after the illness and offered the following advice to cancer patients: “Cancer taught me a lot. I wake up every day, do my yoga, and swim daily. I am more excited about life. I probably won't die from this illness; that's how I feel. Cancer patients should be active in life. They should go out and buy sunflower seeds, ride their bikes. They should definitely do something to keep themselves occupied. They should work as much as their health allows. When a person is alone with themselves, it’s almost impossible to avoid depression. Also, they should stay away from the internet. I told my doctor not to give me too many details. For example, I don’t know the exact number of tumors. Getting too much information increases anxiety and worry.”

“E.Ş. has made my job much easier with her warrior attitude.”

What does Prof. Dr. Şeref Kömürcü, a Medical Oncology Specialist at Anadolu Health Center, say?

“I first saw E.Ş. about two years ago, and after examinations, it turned out she had metastatic breast cancer. She began to surprise me during our very first sessions when sharing the diagnosis. She never asked, ‘Why me?’; her calm, warrior attitude, and willingness to work as a team made my job much easier. When I told her there could be a response from treatment, she would say, ‘Doctor, I will be in the group that gets the best response; don’t worry.’ She learned the treatment process very well and began the procedures. Because it was an advanced-stage cancer, surgery was not needed at first, and she required systemic treatments like chemotherapy. She underwent chemotherapy for a long time. During her chemotherapy, she adhered closely to our recommendations and maintained a positive approach, experiencing very few side effects. By taking the necessary precautions, she continued her social life. After chemotherapy and hormone therapy, as she said, she got into the group with the best response; all metastatic lesions had disappeared, and only a suspicious lump remained in the breast. After this situation remained stable for a year, we discussed her case in the tumor board and recommended surgery. I am sure she will successfully navigate the next steps as well.”